A middle-aged man stood in the doorway of the auditorium with a harsh expression on his face.
It was Jung Ho-min, the current President of the Korea Branch of the Hunter Association.
Nevertheless, it took Min Ha-rin a few moments to recognise him. This was because his appearance was very different from the last time she saw him.
Before, he always had a neat, sharp appearance and a relaxed expression. Even though they were of different genders, she’d always felt that she’d like to be like him when she grew up.
But he had changed greatly.
His eyes were bloodshot, and a beard spread messily over his face. Compared to his powerful and confident appearance of the past, he now looked like a small, powerless old man.
“I don’t remember inviting you in.”
“This is the Korea Branch Headquarters, and I am the Branch President. There is no place here that I cannot enter.”
“It seems you’re still trapped in your delusions of the past. Please try to accept it. This place is no longer the Korea Branch of the Hunter Association. It is the Church of Eternal Life.”
“Bullshit.”
Crunch.
Jung Ho-min grit his teeth as he looked around fiercely.
“Everyone, snap out of it! How long will you allow yourselves to be deluded by this madman’s words?”
“…”
His voice cracked with desperation.
However, the reactions he received from those around him were cold. It was only then Min Ha-rin understood that the people around her were no longer hunters of the Korea Branch. Instead, they were believers of the Church of Eternal Life.
Unfortunately, Jung Ho-min, who used to be in charge of this, could not see that. Or maybe he just couldn’t accept it.
“Do you all think it’s right to call upon the dead over and over and make them come back to this world…?! Don’t any of you find it strange?”
“Take him away.”
Slei said these words in a blunt tone.
At those words, some of the believers in the hall immediately stepped forward and grabbed his arms.
“Let go of me!”
Jung Ho-min resisted as much as he could, but it was to no avail. The strong Branch President that Min Ha-rin remembered was nowhere to be seen. Nevertheless, he refused to give up easily and flailed wildly.
The expression of one of the believers holding him became filled with annoyance. They clenched their fist before punching him in the stomach.
“Huk…”
Jung Ho-min seemed to have not expected the sudden attack. His eyes rolled up in his head as he slumped in his captors’ arms.
The moment she saw that Min Ha-rin stopped hesitating.
Taht.
With a step, she appeared in front of them. Then, Min Ha-rin easily subdued the two believers who were holding Jung Ho-min up by his arms.
She hit one in the back of the head and the other in the stomach.
“…!”
Both of them collapsed without being able to retaliate.
Her attacks had been clean without any openings. Min Ha-rin couldn’t help but feel that it was fortunate she hadn’t neglected her physical training after becoming a Wizard. She also felt grateful for the practical experience her spars with Vincent had given her.
“Ha-, Ha-rin?”
Jung Ho-min called out in a slightly dazed voice.
Min Ha-rin didn’t respond. Her skin tingled because of the sharp gazes from the crowd of believers. A heavy silence filled the room.
“What are you doing?”
It was Slei who spoke for them.
Nevertheless, Min Ha-rin ignored him, her gaze focused on the believers staring at her.
“The Demon Dukes are powerful. Even if all of you were to fight, you would die without being able to touch even a single hair. Are you going to obey those orders?”
“Of course we will.”
“Why?”
“Didn’t you hear the doctrine of our Church of Eternal Life, too?”
Min Ha-rin frowned at those words.
“Eternal Life with the ones you love.”
“The body is a cage, and the soul is the source. It is only by dying that we can be freed and be qualified to go to paradise.”
“Who told you that?”
“The Bishop. And our dead loved ones.”
“…that’s not possible. If they were really your family, they wouldn’t wish for your death.”
Min Ha-rin chuckled derisively.
“Bishop Slei, are you also going to fight with them?”
She no longer used honorifics. Because she didn’t feel the need to anymore. Slei didn’t seem to care about Min Ha-rin’s change of tone.
“I still have work to do in this land. So I will need to delay my trip to paradise a little while longer.”
The words were said decisively.
Min Ha-rin understood then.
Right, it seemed that her hunch at the beginning was correct.
At first, she thought that Slei knew just how powerful Lukas and Sedi were, and he hoped to rely on them to deal with the approaching Five Dukes…
After all, he seemed to know about Lukas during their first meeting.
But that wasn’t the case.
This old man in front of her was ordering these people to commit suicide.
“As I expected, you really are a cult leader.”
“How dare you say that about the Bishop…?!”
“How can you say that after personally witnessing the miracles?”
Those who had greeted Min Ha-rin with smiles at the beginning were now staring at her with gazes filled with killing intent. Those gazes seemed to bring her back to her senses.
It was truly strange.
She’d acted purely out of anger.
Anger at the fact that Jung Ho-min, the reliable and powerful Branch President whom she’d looked up to in the past, was being assaulted while he was in a weakened state. At that time, she’d acted without thinking about the future consequences.
Right. Without thinking about the future. Without thinking about anything at all.
Her mind had been strangely clear at that moment.
The fog that had filled her head ever since she’d returned seemed to have cleared up in an instant.
“Haha.”
Min Ha-rin let out a clear, refreshed laugh.
She was still tired, she still felt unwell, and this situation was the worst, but her mind was extremely clear.
She could tell why. It was simple.
She was finally doing what she thought was right. Therefore, all of her reluctance and hesitation disappeared.
At that moment, Min Ha-rin couldn’t help but feel that she should’ve done this sooner.
“…how unfortunate. I thought you could become a good believer. But I suppose that is impossible now. So what will you do now? Do you intend to fight all of us on your own? Or do you believe that your Master, who isn’t here, will be able to save you?”
When Min Ha-rin didn’t respond, Slei smiled.
“Absolute. Although the title is grand, they aren’t anything special. Your Master won’t be able to come here.”
By now, he should have been face to face with the Saint, Reika.
Even if he noticed what was happening and tried to come here, Reika would stop him. Slei didn’t think that he would be able to force his way past her. Unlike himself, who focused on Communication, Reika’s power was purely focused on combat.
That was why Slei could speak with such confidence.
Unfortunately, those words offended a certain former Absolute.
“You’re really good at spouting bullshit, old man.”
At that moment, a clear voice rang out in the auditorium.
Those rude words caused all of the believers in the auditorium to turn around with displeased expressions. But their expressions all became slightly strange when they saw the owner of the voice.
It was a young, black-haired girl who seemed exceptionally small at that moment.
“What’s going on? Who is this brat?”
“Right, she’s not a believer. How did you get in here, kid?”
“Shut up.”
Crunch.
“Kuk!”
“Urk!”
The jaws of the two people who spoke were broken in an instant. They screamed in pain and collapsed on the spot.
“Huh?”
“Wh-, what’s going on?”
An uproar filled the room as the believers all stared in disbelief.
Slei’s expression hardened.
This was because even he had also been unable to see what just happened.
“Ah…!”
Among those in the room, Min Ha-rin was the only one who seemed happy at the girl’s appearance.
With a sadistic smile on her face, Sedi’s gaze caught Slei’s.
“Who isn’t anything special?”